KENT, OH — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) met with Kent State University President Beverly Warren, Ph. D. today on campus. Brown and Warren discussed her priorities for the university and efforts to direct additional resources to KSU programs. Brown also provided an update on his bipartisan bill to advance manufacturing jobs by creating regional hubs.

“Kent State is one of Ohio’s premier academic institutions, with world-renowned academic programs and cutting-edge research institutions. It’s also the alma mater of my spouse, Connie.” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to working with President Warren to ensure that all of Ohio’s students have access to the same top-quality, affordable education that she received here at Kent.”

Earlier this month, Brown’s Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (RAMI) cleared the house. RAMI would establish a National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) and create thousands of high-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs while enhancing the United States’ role as the world’s leader in advanced manufacturing.

RAMI would bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and all levels of government, to accelerate manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications. These public-private institutes would leverage resources to bridge the gap between basic research and product development.

Using this model, the Administration recently announced two new advanced manufacturing innovation institutes. One, the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), will establish a unique public-private partnership jointly led by The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, and the Columbus-based Edison Welding Institute (EWI). The project is projected to create more than 10,000 jobs in the next five years. NNMI’s pilot is Youngstown’s “America Makes,” formerly the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII).

Brown is working to connect Ohio universities and colleges with resources and help foster collaboration among institutions. In March, Brown hosted his seventh-annual Ohio College Presidents Conference in Washington, D.C. – bringing together leaders from two-year, four-year, private, public, and community colleges to discuss shared challenges and goals for students and institutions of higher learning.

  

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